~~~It's Who You Are~~~

If you have seen the movie Secretariat then I am sure you will agree it was a very inspiring movie. I LOVED the whole film. I felt like I could relate to that horse in so many ways. I laughed. I cried. I cheered that horse on and willed for him to win...to become who he truly was inside. Even though I didn't really want to see this in the first place (I was more in the mood for a comedy), this powerful film grabbed me from the beginning and carried me through to the end and pretty much wrung me out emotionally along the way. I think part of the reason for that was the fact that I could relate so well to how that horse was feeling after having run my first marathon just a few weeks before. All those emotions of the will to not give up, the will to NOT quit, the will to keep trying against all odds, re-surfaced during this film. I highly recommend it as a good family film. It is just a feel good movie.
Part of the true story that they don't even mention in the film is the fact that Secreariat had a very large heart. Meaning literally. When Secretariat was put down the autopsy showed that his heart weighed close to 22 pounds, the average Thoroughbred heart weighs 9 lbs. This was due to the X Factor. If his heart had been normal in size then it has been said he could not have done what he did physically.

I have to relate this to running or any other sport. I know of certain runners that are "born to run". One friend in fact, seems to be able to walk out her door any day of the week and run a marathon without even batting an eye. And she has never been injured OR sore, or even felt winded. And she is fast. Really fast. That is not normal. She has something going for her that the rest of us don't possess. I have found myself very envious of her at times. Especially when I am nursing an injury or running in a race feeling my heart is about to burst. But running has really taught me a lot about things being too hard or too easy. I have learned that it's not about who is fastest or who wins or who seems to make it all effortless. It's about WHO YOU ARE becoming inside simply BECAUSE it's NOT easy. If it were easy, there would be no satisfaction. No growth. No feeling that you overcame something difficult. That is what builds strength and what ultimatley makes you who you are.

I know Secretariat's heart most definitely gave him the advantage of having more stamina and the ability to do what he wouldn't have been able to do with a 9 lb. heart, but that horse also had the WILL to win. He knew he was special. He also knew he could just sit back and enjoy a lazy life of leisure and not push himself beyond what he knew he had inside. But, he chose to be who he knew he really was inside. A champion. A Triple Crown winner. Even without the Triple Crown title he would have still been a champion because a champion is not defined by what you win or accomplish but by what you overcome and discover along the way about yourself.

I fell in love with the song playing as they rolled the credits at the end because it is so relatable to running. Here is the video of it, but be sure and read the lyrics below. The message is powerful. You will have to scroll down to the bottom to my purple music playlist and hit the pause button first. It's the big symbol that looks like an 11 in the middle.

Oh and if you haven't already...
GO SEE THE MOVIE!

It’s not the price, it’s not the game
It’s not the score, it’s not the fame
Whenever road looks way too far
It’s not what you have, it’s who you are

It’s not how fast, it’s not how far
It’s not who cheers, it’s who you are
In darkest night you make your sun
Choose your race and then you run

It’s never the glory, it’s never the score
It’s not about seeing who’s less and who’s more
Cause when you found out how fast and how far
You’ll know it’s not how much you have
It’s who you are

You lose the moon then be a star
It’s not too soon, be who you are
Whenever road looks way too far
It’s not what you have, it’s who you are

It’s never the glory, it’s never the score
It’s not about seeing who’s less and who’s more
Cause when you found out how fast and how far
You’ll know it’s not how much you have
It’s who you are

When you have found how fast you can run
When you have found your place in the sun
It won’t be just you that you’ll find
Has made the run and the climb
It’s everyone

It’s never the glory, it’s never the score
It’s not about seeing who’s less and who’s more
Cause when you found out how fast and how far
You’ll know it’s not how much you have
It’s who you are, it’s who you are

Learning to bend and not to break
Living to give more than you take
Dying to live, living to try
Feet on the ground, dreams in the sky

It’s never how much you have
It’s who you are...